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Sweet & Sappy Belmore Maple Syrup Festival

Tucked away smack dab at an intersection of Municipal boundaries of Bruce County and, Huron County boasts one of the sweetest maple syrup festivals in the little hamlet of Belmore, Ontario. Even though the wacky weather we’ve experienced this winter in Ontario has resulted in reduced maple syrup production, Belmore is not letting that stop them from putting on a great community event, now celebrating its 45th anniversary!

The Belmore Maple Syrup Festival was the brainchild of Mr. Walter Renwick, who wanted to raise money for the local Community Centre. 45 years later, I think Mr. Renwick would be happy to see the whole community coming to together sharing, in what’s become, a family tradition.

Thursday April 12th 9 am -3 pm and Saturday April 14th from 8:30 am - 6:30 pm, Belmore will turn on the griddles, frying pans, stoke the fires to boil down sap and open the doors of their Community Centre to a projected 6,000 people. The made-from-scratch pancakes, local sausage, fresh local apple sauce and maple syrup are sure to get your mouth watering. With a $10 admission for adults, $5 for children 6-11 and free for kids under 5, it’s a great way to spend the day with your family. And really, what kid doesn’t devour pancakes?

When you are stuffed to the ears with fluffy pancakes and sticky sweet maple syrup, head over the auditorium and curling area to browse the goodies of local vendors. Everything from handcrafted wooden trinkets; yummy homemade jams and jellies; quilts and crochet items; dried herbs and preserves; garden and home accessories; chocolate and candy; stained glass; bird houses and feeders, are on display and ready for you to purchase.

If you are worried about parking, don’t. There will be ‘courtesy vehicle’ services, provided by local businesses, that will take you to the community centre and back to your car. For those with limited mobility, volunteers we help with parking and transporting you to your destination.

Ever wondered how maple syrup is made? An outdoor demonstration at the southeast corner of the community centre will be going on for the duration of the festival. Get ready to be amazed at the amount of maple sap that is needed to produced the amber coloured liquid we all slather on pancakes, waffles and if the mood strikes you - ice cream. Fun Fact: it take 40 litres of sap to make 1 litre of syrup.

What goes great with pancakes, homemade goodies and spending time with your family? Why, local live entertainment ,of course. During both days homegrown singers, musicians and dancers will be on site showing off their talents in the Community Centre.

If you’re wondering which day would be better suited for your needs, Thursday is ‘Seniors Day’. Bingo will be the game of the day, along with the regular festivities. Saturday is geared towards children. A ‘warm area’ will be set up above the arena floor where they will be allowed to run and play with other children, while parents look on.

DIRECTIONS FOR HOW TO GET THERE:

Getting to Belmore from the north: head down hwy #9 (#109) west of Walkerton, turn south on Bruce Rd. 12, 17 kms to Belmore.

Coming from the south: take #86 or #87, turn north onto Huron Rd #12. Belmore is about 10 kms north of Wroxeter. Google Map is below.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact Barry Mulvey (519) 357-9694 or Deanne Dickson (519) 335-3748.